Randy Foster: Our freshmen lawmakers get graded

Published: Saturday, April 19, 2014 at 07:14 PM.

The two primary state lawmakers in Sun Journal Land are rookies to their jobs, and in a report from the North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research, it shows.

The center’s April report ranks the effectiveness of N.C. Sen. Norman Sanderson, R-Pamlico, as 36th out of 49 senators, and N.C. Rep. Michael Speciale, R-Craven, as 108th out of 120 state representatives.

The center is an independent, non-profit organization “dedicated to the goals of a better informed public and a more effective, accountable, and responsive state government,” according to the center.

The report boils down surveys of lawmakers’ peers, lobbyists and state capital reporters, and had an over-all response rate of 40 percent.

It takes into account participation in committee work, skill at guiding bills through committee and floor debate, general knowledge and expertise in special fields, the respect they command from peers, their ethics, their enthusiasm, their political power, how they look in a swimsuit, and more.

(Bonus point: Only one category in the preceding list is untrue; see if you guess which.)

Sanderson is a first-term senator after serving one term as a state representative (he was ranked 81st among 120 state representatives during that term). Speciale is a first-term representative.

The two primary state lawmakers in Sun Journal Land are rookies to their jobs, and in a report from the North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research, it shows.

The center’s April report ranks the effectiveness of N.C. Sen. Norman Sanderson, R-Pamlico, as 36th out of 49 senators, and N.C. Rep. Michael Speciale, R-Craven, as 108th out of 120 state representatives.

The center is an independent, non-profit organization “dedicated to the goals of a better informed public and a more effective, accountable, and responsive state government,” according to the center.

The report boils down surveys of lawmakers’ peers, lobbyists and state capital reporters, and had an over-all response rate of 40 percent.

It takes into account participation in committee work, skill at guiding bills through committee and floor debate, general knowledge and expertise in special fields, the respect they command from peers, their ethics, their enthusiasm, their political power, how they look in a swimsuit, and more.

(Bonus point: Only one category in the preceding list is untrue; see if you guess which.)

Sanderson is a first-term senator after serving one term as a state representative (he was ranked 81st among 120 state representatives during that term). Speciale is a first-term representative.

Both Sanderson and Speciale dismissed the survey as a popularity contest, and pointed out that lawmakers with seniority will naturally score higher than lawmakers without seniority.

Measured only against other freshmen lawmakers, Sanderson ranked quite well: Fifth out of 12. Speciale ranked 38th out of 47 freshmen representatives.

The survey also ranked attendance and voting records, in which both Sanderson and Speciale ranked near the top.

Speciale was one of the lawmakers who didn’t return a survey.

“Effectiveness should be determined by how many bills were submitted and did they make it through to becoming law,” Speciale said in an email responding to my request for his reaction to the survey. “This more clearly demonstrates how they work with others, how they work across the aisle, how they communicate, etc. In other words, what has each legislator accomplished. The N.C. Center for Public Policy effectiveness rating has little to do with actual effectiveness and more to do with a popularity poll.

“Look at who are in the top slots… all of the ‘clique’ of the leadership. From a performance standpoint based on the criteria mentioned above, not all of them were effective by any stretch of the imagination.

Look at who are in the bottom slots… those who disagreed with the top leadership and did what they were sent up there to do, and that is to represent the people back home without compromising their integrity (such as) Larry Pittman and Bill Brawley, both of whom made their opinions known about their disagreements with Thom Tillis.

“To be honest, I’m surprised that I made it as high as 108,” Representative Speciale said.

Speciale said he submitted 10 bills and jointly sponsored another seven, for a total of 17 bills.

That legislation, for example, stopped ferry tolling; gave $1.5 million back to Craven County and about $250,000 back to Pamlico by forcing the Eastern Region to return monies accumulated from the $5 Global TransPark license plate surcharge; ensured a Common Core Joint Study Committee was implemented; removed regulatory burden of certain reports regarding solid waste; allows Tryon Palace to implement its own price system; ended right-of-way shooting (hunting) in Beaufort County; passed a House Resolution letting the congressional delegation know that they stand by the Constitution and particularly the Second Amendment and that they are not to support any legislation that erodes those rights; and passed a bill through the House (will go in front of Senate this year) that fixes an “ex post facto” error in a 1995 law that infringes on the gun rights of citizens.

Senator Sanderson had this to say about the survey:

“After having examined the rankings, it is very evident that they are based largely on seniority and committee leadership positions. The number one ranking senator this year, President Pro Tempore Phil Berger, was ranked 44th as a freshman and the current Senate Majority Leader, Sen. Harry Brown, was ranked 4th in 2013 and 36th as a freshman. Five other senators ranked in the top 10 in 2013 were ranked in positions ranging from 28th to 43rd as freshmen.

“I find myself in excellent company. As a freshman senator, I am proud of the work I have done providing solid representation for my constituents in Carteret, Craven and Pamlico counties. These are the people to which I hold myself accountable as I work for them, not lobbyists or members of the Capital Press Corps.”

Thanks for letting me take up some of your Sunday morning.

Randy Foster is editor of the Sun Journal. He can be reached at randy.foster@newbernsj.com or 252-635-5663. Follow him on Twitter @rivereditor.